NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bulls have received some positive health updates this week, as both Patrick Williams and Tony Bradley have returned to the practice court. However, the most severely injured player on the roster will still have to wait a while for the green light.
According to 670 The Score’s Cody Westerlund, Coby White is still 3-4 weeks away from taking the next step in his recovery. The Bulls point guard has yet to experience any contact after suffering a torn labrum toward the beginning of this offseason.
#Bulls are still 3-4 weeks away from making a decision on next step for Coby White in his shoulder rehab, Billy Donovan says. He remains a ways away from contact — so that timeline is likely when he might be cleared for it.
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) October 13, 2021
For what it’s worth, the 3-4 week estimate still does fall in line with the prior reports regarding White’s recovery timeline. The Chicago Bulls shared at the end of last month that White was expected to make a full return in November. More specifically, NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson pointed toward mid-November as the area to focus on. The current 3-4 week estimate would put White back in contact practice on either November 3rd or November 10th. The question then becomes how many practices would the coaching and medical staff want White to get under his belt before making a full return?
The good news is that White has reportedly been able to keep up his strength and conditioning. We also know that he has been able to increasingly work on some dribbling and shooting as of late. Hopefully, the fact that he has been able to work on these few things will make a quick adjustment back to full play easier. But the fact of the matter is White still experienced a rather severe injury, and the chances of him taking some extra time to eat significant minutes off the bench is relatively high.
In general, we should keep in mind that White’s role is slightly less significant than last season. While he will surely bolster the bench unit with his sparkplug scoring ability – as well as give Donovan another strong C&S to mix and match in lineups with Vucevic and DeRozan – the team can probably be more cautious than usual with him back in a bench role. But that doesn’t mean I’m still not super antsy to see him return to the rotation! I need some Coby buckets!
